The Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) takes the same geographical distribution as the Western Hemlock. This is the Kenai Peninsula to the northern part of California. However, it prefers high altitude, which the latter doesn’t. These areas are cold subalpine sites with cool or cold maritime climates. It favors loose, well-drained soil with adequate moisture. It is slow-growing, tolerant to shade and competition from other trees, and possessing small pendulous cylindrical cones and thin, square-cracked gray bark. The needle-like leaves are bluish-green or bluish-white. Young trees have slender, conic-shaped, neat crowns, while old trees have cylindrical crowns. It is planted as an ornamental tree because of its lovely blue-green color and ability to withstand severe weather.
Mountain Hemlocks have a typical overall height between 66’-131’ (20-40 m) and spread diameter of 10’-18’ (3-5.5 m). Exceptional mature Mountain Hemlock trees may grow to heights of 194’ (59 m) in the wild. The trunk of the Mountain Hemlock has a diameter of 2.5’-3.5’ (.76-1.07 m) with needle-like leaf lengths between .5”-.75” (13-19 mm).
The Mountain Hemlock (Tsuga mertensiana) takes the same geographical distribution as the Western Hemlock. This is the Kenai Peninsula to the northern part of California. However, it prefers high altitude, which the latter doesn’t. These areas are cold subalpine sites with cool or cold maritime climates. It favors loose, well-drained soil with adequate moisture. It is slow-growing, tolerant to shade and competition from other trees, and possessing small pendulous cylindrical cones and thin, square-cracked gray bark. The needle-like leaves are bluish-green or bluish-white. Young trees have slender, conic-shaped, neat crowns, while old trees have cylindrical crowns. It is planted as an ornamental tree because of its lovely blue-green color and ability to withstand severe weather.
Mountain Hemlocks have a typical overall height between 66’-131’ (20-40 m) and spread diameter of 10’-18’ (3-5.5 m). Exceptional mature Mountain Hemlock trees may grow to heights of 194’ (59 m) in the wild. The trunk of the Mountain Hemlock has a diameter of 2.5’-3.5’ (.76-1.07 m) with needle-like leaf lengths between .5”-.75” (13-19 mm).
